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Everyone that ever met Peter Brown is grieving his departure from planet Earth this week. We know that he is in his pedestrian utopia with wide sidewalks, clear wayfinding, well-designed tree-lined streets and intersections with safe crossings. I first met Peter Brown in the 1980’s. At that time Peter was very involved with the city […]

This 4th of July was a bit sad for me. Having spent time with a number of youthful folks in the last few months, I realized that “patriotism”, “love of country” and other feelings most of us consider sacred have lessoned with newer and younger generations. Due to the ugliness of our leadership and consistent […]

Orlando. The mere mention of the word makes families smile and children (even teens) leap with excitement. The word is synonymous with Mickey Mouse and Harry Potter and family adventure. For Orlando is the town that Disney built….. My family went last summer and we had a wonderful time. We hit 6 theme parks in […]

From the beginning of the United States, women have struggled. We were not included in the U.S. Constitution, even though Abigal Adams, wife of John Adams, asked him to please remember to include the “ladies”.

As the vote began to expand beyond white male landowners, women began to seek the right to vote. As the Civil War approached, many women were supportive of abolition. They learned that there opinions were not really welcome but their hard work and support were appreciated. Thus began a more solid women’s movement.

The 15th Amendment passed granting black males the right to vote. Women were once again excluded. And they were angry. They had encouraged the abolition of slavery, fought for freedom and were once again told to wait their turn.

In 1848, more than 200 men and women met in Seneca Falls, New York to coalesce on women’s specific issues. During this time, education was not available to all women, women could not own property or possess their own money except for rare circumstances. Men directed every aspect of women’s lives.

In 1872, a suffragist named Victoria Woodhull decided to seek the presidency. She was not even allowed to vote for herself but sought the highest office in the land. She ran on her own campaign and received a handful of votes. She was also the first woman to testify before a Congressional Committee on the subject of woman’s voting and the first woman ever to testify before Congress. Sojourner Truth was also a suffragist and reminded listeners, “Ain’t I a Woman” by telling her story as a slave. She was the first African American women ever invited to the White House by President Lincoln.

In 1890, Wyoming became a state and allowed women to vote. Some western states followed suit.

It took 72 years from the 15th amendment to the 19th amendment allowing women the right to vote passed. It took Susan B. Anthony illegally casting a vote and Alice Paul going on a hunger strike and having she and her supporters sent to jail before they finally won.

In the early 70’s, the Women’s “Lib” movement emerged after the Civil Rights movement. Between 1970 and 1980, many landmark court decisions brought significant changes to women’s lives from Roe v. Wade to Title IX. This era culminated with an agressive fight to pass the Equal Rights Amendment allowing an addition to the Constitution that would declare women equal under the law. This era culminated with a National Women’s Conference in 1977 held in Houston and underwritten by the government. Every living First Lady was in attendance, including Republicans and Democrats as well as numerous well-known women. Gloria Steinem was one of the foremost drivers of this period of change. FYI, the ERA never passed.

In 1984, the first woman was nominated as Vice President on a major political party ticket. The Democratic Party nominated Walter Mondale and he named Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate. Since that time, the Republican Party named Sarah Palin as a VP nominee. Many women have sought the Presidency over the last three decades.

96 years after women gained the right to vote, a woman has secured the nomination of a major political party. Whether or not you like Hillary Clinton or not, please recognize the fact that she has broken yet another ceiling in American “Herstory” and history too! Pardon some of us who have fought for women’s equality our whole lives if we are overly excited and or shedding a tear or two.

I won’t apologize for the long post. I have been teaching Women in Politics at the University of Houston for 14 years and enlightening students about women’s herstory. You must look at the long struggles to fully understand the exuberance many women feel at this crack in the ceiling.

2016 started off with a bang. We ate lots of Black-eyed peas and cabbage to kick-off the year. Things were flying in January. I was working hard, eating healthier, and working new business. Lily was participating in debate and doing well at school in the second half of her Freshman year in high school. Then, […]

As early voting began this week, the question of “Who will be Mayor?” is on everyone’s minds. I’m probably asked this question a minimum of 10 times a day. It is true that historically, my gut can predict an election outcome or grasp the attitudes of the voting public. Unfortunately, for the first time in […]

Yesterday, the “C” Club made their choice in the Mayoral Election. They endorsed Bill King. The “C” Club is a conservative organization but they have surprised folks in the past by making unexpected endorsements. Many politicos think of them as the “rational” conservatives. They are a well-respected group of conservative-leaning, mostly business-oriented members. Here is […]

Last Saturday, my daughter and I attended the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender (GLBT) Political Caucus endorsement meeting. We are not members but wanted to observe the political process at work. Since it was on a Saturday, it was a great opportunity for learning and watching the political process at work for my teenager. This caucus […]

On January 7th of this year, my blog post was about HERO being a driving issue of the 2015 City Elections. Click here to review and remember. I would love to tell you that I’m a futurist or have pyschic abilities but an issue that generates this level of passion will always remain present. Just […]

The electorate is worked up about flooding and it is clearly an important issue in the 2015 Mayoral elections. Flooding in political parlance refers to “drainage.” The streets are flooding because water does not have anywhere to go. Those better building standards, drainage and public infrastructure projects will improve the potential of flooding. The issue […]